Knock You Down
by Sam.Joann
Summary: Prequel to Path of Most Resistance: How did they get to this point? They didn't even like each other before, and now they were spending evenings together with Mokuba, like some dysfunctional family… Post-DSOD, violetshipping kaijou fluff
1. Chapter 1

Knock You Down

Prequel to Path of Most Resistance: How did they get to this point? They didn't even like each other before, and now they were spending evenings together with Mokuba, like some dysfunctional family… Post-DSOD, violetshipping kaijou fluff

 **Inspired by a song from way back. It's a very hetero song, but the sentiment is applicable. This is a prequel to a story I have already written called** _ **The Path of Most Resistance**_ **. If you wanna check it out, please do!**

Chapter 1: Status Quo

Kaiba Seto had rarely done it, but when Jonouchi Katsuya said that he'd always be second best, he lost it. It was true that Kaiba could never regain his title as top duelist from Mutou Yugi, but why so soon to point it out? It had only been a year since graduation, since the pharaoh. On the eve of a tournament, highly publicized with high profile duelists like Jonouchi, Kaiba kicked the blond out of the tournament. He didn't care what Jonouchi's sponsors would say to him. He just wanted Jonouchi out of his face and licking his wounds.

So maybe he had gone further with it, calling Jonouchi a hack, but people knew that this was the typical way of Kaiba Seto. But the disappointed eyes of his younger brother Mokuba were not what he wanted to see at the moment.

"This is just petty, Seto," Mokuba said, sitting cross-legged in the car next to Kaiba. They were on their way to the tournament. Kaiba would not be competing.

It was as if Mokuba didn't know him. Kaiba could afford to be petty, though he hadn't anticipated Jonouchi's fanbase to be so large and vocal.

Kaiba didn't look up from his phone. He continued scrolling through emails, answering them. He said, "Put your seatbelt on, Mokuba."

He heard a click.

"Jonouchi needs to learn to watch his mouth. There are consequences to pissing people off."

"Sounds like someone I know," Mokuba said.

Kaiba paused mid-scroll and tossed a glance at Mokuba. He decided that he wouldn't dignify it with an answer.

The car slowed to a stop, and after a moment, the car door opened for the brothers. They stepped out and walked down the pathway to the arena. Kaiba kept up his pace, aware of Mokuba's growth spurt. He was now up to Kaiba's shoulder and could keep up with his long strides. More than he was able to just a year ago. They entered the building to see Jonouchi with registration arguing his heart out.

"This is ridiculous. He can't just kick me out."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jonouchi, but I've been told that your name has been removed from the list," said the man at the desk.

Kaiba smirked to himself.

"It's not funny, Seto."

"I wasn't laughing."

Jonouchi sighed dramatically and messed up his hair, turning to see Kaiba and Mokuba. His eyes instantly narrowed at Kaiba. Good. He knew. And just like the mongrel he was, just like Kaiba expected, Jonouchi marched over and jabbed his finger into Kaiba's chest. Kaiba dropped his smirk and gave Jonouchi a deadly look.

"What's wrong, deadbeat? You can't participate in the tournament?"

"Shove it, asshole. Didn't realize you were so damn petty. Is your ego _that_ fragile?"

Kaiba snorted. "Last I checked, dogs can't play card games anyway. I did you a favor. Seeing you duel would've been a joke."

Anger flashed in Jonouchi's eyes. The look, and others similar to it, was something that Kaiba always enjoyed getting from him. Knowing that someone felt so affected by his actions was gratifying. Kaiba smirked again.

"Why you-" Jonouchi lunged at Kaiba, but Yugi wedged himself between them.

"Jonouchi, it's not worth it."

Honda appeared behind the two and grabbed the back of Jonouchi's jacket collar. He said, "You're not helping yourself this way, Jou."

The words had some sort of calming effect on the blond. But that just wouldn't do. Kaiba said, "Yes, mongrel. Listen to your masters. You don't want to be sent to the pound, do you?"

The three men gave Kaiba a glare.

"Look, Kaiba. I know you like getting your rocks off tormenting Jonouchi, but this is humiliating," Honda said. "People _expect him_ to attend this tournament."

Kaiba tensed. He didn't appreciate the comment. The mutt wasn't important enough to give that kind of energy to. His ears burned a little as he said, "And I expect respect from all duelists attending these tournaments. Jonouchi was Jonouchi. And he got kicked out of the tournament. Surprise."

"Kaiba," Yugi, who had grown a few more inches, said. "Is there anyway you'd reconsider?"

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I think what Seto is _trying_ to say is that, at this point, it's a bit too late for _another_ change. I'm sorry, Jonouchi, but you just have to sit this one out."

Kaiba could feel Mokuba's eyes on him.

"Unless my brother thinks he can make something work…"

"Nothing I can do anymore," Kaiba said. He started down the grand hall to the arena.

"Well, then if he can't compete, he , Honda, and Yugi can watch with us," Mokuba said. "Sound good, guys? We have the best seats in the house."

Kaiba twisted around and shot Mokuba a look. "I'm sure they have their own seats."

"It's okay, Mokuba. Wouldn't want to breathe your brother's air," Jonouchi said. "Let's go, guys."

Yugi sighed, shaking his head at Kaiba. Honda and Jonouchi had walked off. "I don't know what you have against Jonouchi, but it's go to stop. We both know he's a talented and strong duelist and knocking him out of tournaments because he says something you don't like is ridiculous."

"He'll get over it. There are other tournaments."

"Sure. But I was hoping that you could move beyond rivalry like you did with me."

"There is no _rivalry_ between me and Jonouchi." Kaiba rolled his eyes at Yugi. "And as far as I'm concerned, you are a consultant to my company and nothing more. We're not friends. Our only relationship is a business relationship, nothing more."

"That's fine. Just give Jonouchi some slack." Yugi turned away and walked off.

"Come on, Mokuba." Kaiba turned and walked in the opposite direction of the three men.

'Give Jonouchi some slack'. That was a ridiculous notion. If anything, Kaiba was thrilled by the idea of Jonouchi sitting on the sidelines of a tournament that he probably would have won. He liked thinking of the blond fuming and having the competition rubbed in his face while other duelists and fans sat watching him at the sidelines. His absence in the duels would be obvious. Jonouchi was, after all, in much of the advertisements, and to not even be in the tournament itself...Some fans would be disappointed, but in the dueling circuit, Jonouchi would be the laughing stock.

The unfortunate thing was that the tournament was a complete bore without the blond duelist. Neither Kaiba nor Yugi had signed up, and there were other veteran duelists who were unable to make it. The tournament had become amateur hour. He probably did Jonouchi a favor, though he did deny him the chance at the prize money and a potential sponsorship, though the hot head already had a contract. Like he told Yugi though, there were other tournaments. Probably ones that were more challenging for Jonouchi.

Next to Kaiba, in their private viewing area, Mokuba shifted and sighed. Since turning sixteen, the kid had become more vocal about his distaste with how Kaiba treated other people. He had also pushed to become more active in the expansion of Kaiba Corp. much to Kaiba's concern; he needed to focus on school and then a university. Kaiba loved the idea that Mokuba had an increased interest in the business, in potentially remaining by his side, but the reality was that Mokuba needed his own path, not the path that his older brother had made for the both of them.

"Seto, I don't understand why you can't be nice to Jonouchi. What has he done wrong?"

"He's an idiot. Need I say more?"

"If he were an idiot, he wouldn't be doing so well in tournaments. What else?"

Mokuba had a point. The game required some ability with thinking through strategy and analysis, but it was hard to give Jonouchi too much credit since he still used that ridiculous gamble deck. Kaiba racked his brain for something else, but he couldn't think of anything. If anything, as Mokuba was hinting at, he should be some sort of friend to the blond. After all, he had shown himself to be a true duelist, and he had helped Mokuba numerous times. Kaiba should have felt indebted to Jonouchi, but that would be admitting that to some extent he liked the mutt and there was no way he was going to do that.

"Nothing? So it's just an irrational dislike."

"Nothing I do is irrational."

"Then prove it. Prove that there is something about Jonouchi that is so reprehensible that you have to treat him like dirt," Mokuba snapped. He looked at Kaiba earnestly. "I bet that you won't be able to find anything that validates your behavior."

Kaiba huffed. He had nothing to prove. His dislike for the mutt was valid, though at the moment he couldn't think of a reason that would pass Mokuba's inquiry.

"Look, we have a dinner with Yugi in a few days. Let's invite Jonouchi, and then you can show me how awful he is."

"Mokuba, that's supposed to be a business meeting."

"Jonouchi has been using our new duel disk in tournaments. I bet he has feedback."

"I doubt it would be useful…"

"We can be the judge of that when we hear it," Mokuba said. He already had his phone out, clearly texting Yugi.

Mokuba could be a real brat sometimes, but, then again, he knew how to get what he wanted, a quality that was valuable.

"I'm also saying that we're paying for dinner, since we owe Jonouchi."

Kaiba glowered. He was not looking to make an investment in some loser.

"And…" Mokuba's phone pinged. "Both of them are coming."

Kaiba cursed how meddlesome Mokuba and Yugi were. Couldn't they just allow them to maintain the status quo? There was absolutely no way, absolutely no way that he and Jonouchi would climb over this obstacle. There was just no way.

 **This was short, but I wanted to take this a little slow. There are a lot of changes (hopefully positive) going on right now in my life, and I don't want to burn out. Let me know what you think! As always, review if you'd like. And don't forget to read The Path of Most Resistance if you haven't!**

 **S**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Getting to Know You**

 **Sorry for the absence. There are a lot of life changes going on, but I ABSOLUTELY wanted to post something for Kaiba's birthday today. Also, I'll just tease you all and say that I have typed up an essential message from Jonouchi to Kaiba in this universe. And you'll see it *drum roll* at the end of the story. ;)**

Jonouchi adjusted his navy blue tie, its light blue specks popping with his matching button-up, and then pulled on his plaid gray blazer. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He felt out of his element. Rarely did he dress up, let alone wear khakis for dinner; it just increased the chance of food stains showing. He walked to his bathroom, the only room in his new apartment that was completely unpacked, and he gave himself a once over.

Was it good enough? Jonouchi didn't want to feel judged, but that was what he was going to get with Kaiba-in disgust or in a snide compliment.

Jonouchi ran a hand through his blond locks. They wouldn't be tamed tonight no matter how hard he tried. He eyed his hairbrush on the countertop but sighed. What was the point? He needed to prepare for the worst. He took out his phone and shot a message to Yugi. Maybe he could get a drink before anyone showed up. He could afford it now with his sponsorship-the sponsorship that was pissed to see him sit the sidelines for the tournament. Jonouchi left the bathroom and grabbed his keys from the kitchen countertop. After giving an appraising look, he left the apartment. Living in such a clean and large space was a real culture shock for him. It was all his. As he descended the stairs of the complex, he felt a nag of guilt eat at him; his father had been stubborn and refused to leave their home, calling the new apartment a 'little pissy missy jack-off house'. Jonouchi hadn't been sure of what to think then. He had wanted to move his father away from his vices and debts, but after one too many muggings and one missed tournament due to injuries for a father-son encounter, he had to call it quits. At least here, he was close to Yugi and had easy access to public transit to get to his father. He was still nervous of actually being alone.

Stopping at the carport, Jonouchi considered whether or not biking to the restaurant was a good idea. He thought about the look on Kaiba's face. Probably pinched, sneering. A part of Jonouchi liked getting a rise out of him, but another part didn't want to be looked down on, especially by Kaiba. He turned away from his bike and hopped onto the next bus to downtown. When he arrived at his stop and made it to the restaurant, he was thirty minutes early. He made a beeline for the bar and ordered an old-fashioned using his fake ID. At long last, he received a text back from Yugi. The spiky-haired shorty was on his way now. This message was riddled with apologies for not seeing them sooner. Jonouchi smirked into his drink.

"You actually came," Jonouchi heard Kaiba from behind. He bristled at the sound and turned to him and Mokuba. He avoided looking at the older brother; he felt his blue eyes piercing him.

Before Kaiba could say more, Mokuba jumped in. "Come join us. We have a table." To the bartender, he said, "We'll get his drink."

They all settled uncomfortably at a table. Again, Jonouchi felt Kaiba's eyes on him.

"So," Jonouchi said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is this some power move to arrive this early?"

"I don't need to make power moves. You on the other hand..."

Jonouchi saw the brothers share a glance. Kaiba mirrored Jonouchi but turned his eyes away from him.

"Forget it. It's better to be ready early in case anything unexpected comes up."

"Yeah. We shoot for fifteen to thirty minutes. Anything more than that is…"

"Excessive," Kaiba finished. It was almost a hiss.

"Oh. Okay."

An awkward silence. Jonouchi played with his glass. He wondered where Yugi was. If his friend was aware of Kaiba's policy. Probably. Yugi was pretty observant. He glanced up at the brothers. Kaiba had just received a drink-a whiskey-and Mokuba looked just as uncomfortable as Jonouchi felt.

Jonouchi inhaled deeply. "So, why did I need to come? I'm not involved in Yugi's game at all."

"Oh, we didn't want to talk to you about that," Mokuba said brightly. "I was hoping you could give any feedback at all about the new duel disks. They've been out for a bit, and we're always looking to improve it. And you've been using it a lot lately."

So he wasn't just there for Kaiba to stare him down judgingly. And they actually wanted his thoughts on a product of theirs. Surely, this was Mokuba's idea. Jonouchi couldn't imagine Kaiba valuing his opinion that much or at all even. He shrugged. He said, "What do you wanna know?" without really wanting to answer. Wouldn't his feedback just be laughed off by Kaiba? Mokuba had a say, some influence, but Kaiba was the final decision-maker. He chanced a glance at Kaiba, who looked intensely at Jonouchi; there was no telling what was going on in his mind.

"Anything, really, Jou," Mokuba said. "Right, Seto?"

Kaiba broke his gaze from Jonouchi and drank from his glass. He said, "Whatever the dog has to say…"

Kaiba fell silent as Mokuba shot daggers at him. Jonouchi wondered just what had he walked into. It was like Kaiba was on a tight leash.

 _Here I go_ , Jonouchi thought, and he finished his old-fashioned. He said, "First, I just wanna say that the holograms are still top quality. The disks are light and easy to handle, but…" He saw Kaiba tense. Yep, this was all Mokuba's idea. He pushed onward. "But I don't know how user-friendly it is."

He braced himself from a biting remark from Kaiba, but when he heard nothing from the CEO, he looked up. Kaiba sat stiffly, glaring. He _looked_ like he was biting back something nasty, but he inhaled deeply from his nose and exhaled. Kaiba said, "And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?"

"Trying to teach a kid how to use it is damn near impossible. Not all kids are as brilliant as you two," Jonouchi said. He tried not to sound snarky, but he saw Kaiba bristle anyway. "I think that the new duel disk is kind of divisive. You have the people who can afford it and the people who can't. And then you have the people who can figure it out and the others who can't. Kinda risky to produce something that is over the heads of a target audience."

Kaiba opened his mouth, but Jonouchi cut him off. "And don't start with the manual because the general public does _not_ read it."

Mokuba laughed. "Yeah. Seto has a lot of expectations of our consumers. But what do you think?"

The question was directed at Kaiba. And for a moment, he looked stricken, like he had no clue of what to say. He sipped at his drink and then swished it around. He said, "It is possible. We shouldn't get too focused on the advances and leave everyone else behind."

"Yeah, Seto. You may just be getting a little too ahead of yourself."

"I said 'possible'." Kaiba absently drank at his whiskey.

Jonouchi smirked and said, "Well, you wanna make sure the average Joe can be included. Do you think these changes will lead to price changes?"

"That all depends on the cost of development and production," Kaiba said. There was a look of disinterest in his eye now. Jonouchi hated it. At least when he was berating him, Jonouchi knew there was some acknowledgement. When Kaiba was distant like this, it very well meant that Jonouchi didn't exist to him. Like he wasn't worth any attention at all, which was frustrating since he was the one whose life was disrupted by this stupid dinner.

 _Free food,_ Jonouchi told himself. Everything would be better with free food.

"What Seto means is that it probably means there will be changes-oh, look! There's Yugi!" Mokuba waved him over, and Jonouchi felt the presence of his friend next to him.

"I did get the time correct, right?" Yugi said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, we all just happened to be running ahead of schedule, right, _Seto_?"

"Yugi."

"Kaiba."

There was a silence between them that Jonouchi couldn't place. It wasn't tense like all the other times they were near each other. Kaiba seemed to sink into acceptance with Yugi's presence. His combative behavior had dropped. Maybe Yugi had finally got through to him somehow. Jonouchi couldn't help but feel jealousy. He was tired of fighting with Kaiba. A nice comfortable silence seemed nice between the two of them.

They all ordered their food, and Kaiba and Yugi started talking about the process of the game development. Jonouchi wondered why this couldn't have been done via email. The two were talking about some game mechanics that Jonouchi already knew he had to know the basic rules to understand. It was a secret language that even Mokuba knew. Again, he felt a tinge of jealousy. Since when did Kaiba seem at ease-as at ease as he could possibly seem-with Yugi. His friend had a charm about him. But even more so-Yugi laughed out loud at something Kaiba said, and Kaiba had a ghost of a smile on his face-when did they become friends? Even though Kaiba seemed to be in denial of the friendship, there was obviously comradery. Jonouchi fought the urge to slouch in his seat. There had been few to no snide remarks from Kaiba, so he didn't want to ruin the streak.

"Jonouchi, what do you say? I'd love for you to test out the game when it's ready," Yugi suddenly said.

Jonouchi jumped in his seat and scanned the table. All eyes were on him. He struggled to keep his eyes from meeting Kaiba's intense look. Did he always have to be so severe and vigilant? Clearing his throat, Jonouchi threw a smile on his face and said, "Well, of course. Whenever it's ready, just let me know."

"Great. And it's not on volunteer basis. Kaiba Corp. will pay for your trials with it in its development," Mokuba said. He looked at Kaiba, challengingly.

"Yes, you'll be compensated. But that means that we need a deadline for you, Yugi. When do you think you can get a prototype ready?"

Yugi blushed.

That was right...Yugi hadn't had anything for Jonouchi to look at ever since he had announced his intent on creating a game for the contest in Germany. Jonouchi eyed his friend.

"Two months, I guess," Yugi said.

"Good. Jonouchi, my secretary will schedule a time for you to trial the game."

Kaiba downed the rest of his drink, and Jonouchi wondered just how many he had had. He ducked his head; he did not want to have that conversation with him. He was not his brother, his parent, or his boyfriend. Definitely not his boyfriend. But his thoughts didn't dwell on it as the food was brought to them.

"Finally!" Mokuba said and dug in.

Kaiba sighed. "Restraint is a virtue, Mokuba."

"But virtues make you into a stick in the mud." Mokuba nibbled at his rice. He wrinkled his face at Kaiba's salad. "Is that all you're eating?"

Jonouchi bit back a comment about Kaiba maintaining his delicate figure. That probably would have brought on some wild looks. He instead said, "Lay off, Mokuba. He'll eat what he wants. Just enjoy your own food."

He bit into his asparagus spear for good measure.

Across from him, Kaiba snorted. "One of the few things we agree on."

"Don't pick at a man's food. He's got his reasons. That's what I say."

Then Kaiba did something that Jonouchi thought he'd never see. Kaiba placed his elbow on the table and rested his jaw on his palm. A smirk was on his face-Jonouchi would have believed that he didn't know how to smile like a normal human being but Duelist Kingdom suggested otherwise. Jonouchi wasn't sure if Kaiba was about to make fun of him or not.

"Generally a good policy. Unfortunately Mokuba ignores it."

"Hey…"

Yugi smiled at Jonouchi.

How many drinks had Kaiba had and could all their interactions be pregamed so that his sourpuss mood was done away with? It was rare that Kaiba ever humored him with a cordial response. He hid a smile. He didn't want to screw this up. Maybe this was his way out of the doghouse.

"Eh...Mokuba, you should really take Jonouchi's advice. You wouldn't want your brother to have a say in everything you eat," Yugi said.

"But he's always had a say."

'But of course. I was taking care of you."

Mokuba sighed dramatically.

"He has a point, kiddo. He has basically been your older brother _and_ your parent since forever." Jonouchi leaned back in his seat and was shocked when Kaiba nodded for a server to get Jonouchi another drink.

Mokuba crossed his arms. "And I was just about to invite you to test out a new game tomorrow, Jonouchi."

"Please, Mokuba, Jonouchi has other things he could do with his time."

"Sure. During the day. Are you free in the evenings, Jonouchi?"

"Jonouchi and I _were_ going to help Grandpa do inventory at the shop, but I'm sure we'll be fine without him."

Kaiba and Jonouchi gaped at Yugi's brazen words. Sometimes, the pharaoh's influence on him was so obvious; Yugi seemed to have become a fusion of himself and Atem.

Mokuba grinned. "Awesome. And you can stay for dinner too, right, Seto?"

"Um...why not?" Kaiba said after a pause.

Why was he being so compliant to Mokuba's demands? Did they have a talk? Was Kaiba drunk? He didn't know, but this situation went from comfortable to tense in a matter of a few sentences. At least he didn't have to worry about dinner. Since moving into his own place, eating alone felt even lonelier. He welcomed the company, even if half of his company was Kaiba.

Mokuba insisted on giving Yugi and Jonouchi a ride home. At this point, Jonouchi could tell that Kaiba had given up and was riding out the rest of the evening. So he complied. He wasn't sure if he liked or was creeped out by the change in behavior. Somehow, the two sat next to each other. It reminded Jonouchi of how tall Kaiba was in comparison to him, how he could easily rest his head on his shoulder-stop. We don't think like that about Kaiba. Some guys,,,that's okay, but not Kaiba. In all honesty, Jonouchi wondered why he never felt a thing for Yugi, but he was still trying to figure out who exactly was his type now that he was out. Maybe Yugi was just a friend; his best friend, but still... Jonouchi shook the thoughts away. He didn't need to be thinking about these things right at that moment. Not with an audience, where Yugi, who always seemed to be able to read his mind, could observe and mistaken Jonouchi's behavior for shyness with Kaiba. He looked over to Yugi; although his leg was bouncing up and down, a sure sign he needed a cigarette, he was happily talking to Mokuba.

Warily, Jonouchi gave Kaiba a sidelong look. He said, "Thanks for dinner. You didn't have to."

"Good business requires hospitality."

Kaiba pressed his forehead onto the window. His body was rigid.

The irony of Kaiba's comment was not lost on Jonouchi, but with how the night had been, he figured that giving the CEO a break was the least he could do. Jonouchi searched for some words. Mokuba and Yugi were essentially ignoring them, and he imagined that it was totally on purpose. He didn't understand why it was so important for him and Kaiba to get along.

The atmosphere grew heavier once Yugi was dropped off at his place, and Mokuba sank into his seat, yawning. Next to Jonouchi, Kaiba also slouched slightly. Both brothers looked wiped out, and Jonouchi wondered if this was how it was at the end of every day. Both of them falling asleep once they found a quiet moment in the evening. It wasn't long before Mokuba was snoring softly, and Kaiba took off his jacket and draped it over his brother. Jonouchi could never get over how loving he was to his brother but a complete ass to everyone else.

"What?" Kaiba said suddenly.

"Nothing." Jonouchi didn't realize he was staring until it was too late. "Just that you really look after your brother."

"Why would it be any other way?"

"It shouldn't," Jonouchi said. "Sometimes it's hard to do it."

"I guess."

They sat in silence. Jonouchi hated the silence. Without thinking, he said, "I'm sorry for insulting you. Sometimes my mouth just goes."

He saw Kaiba grit his teeth but look at Mokuba. The CEO relaxed a little and said, "I think I got my point across. Don't do it again."

That was remote from what Jonouchi wanted, but he knew he wasn't getting an apology.

"Also, about Mokuba and tomorrow," Kaiba said. His eyes rested steadily on Jonouchi. "Don't feel pressured to come. The kid can take rejection."

Jonouchi smiled at that. "Loud and clear, but I can't turn down the offer of gaming at a mansion _with_ a free meal."

"Is food all you think about?"

No. There were other things. Like how Kaiba seemed pretty civil at the moment. His guard was up, but not so much as he was slouching in his seat. At some point, he had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, exposing his prominent collar bones...And Jonouchi was staring at his collar bones. He felt himself blush. He blurted out, "No. I think of other stuff too."

"Like what?"

Jonouchi was officially weirded out. Kaiba was too talky.

"Well, obviously Duel Monsters-"

"Aside from Duel Monsters."

"What are you playing at?" Jonouchi demanded. He felt tense, like he was watching himself being dissected. "Normally, you just ignore me or insult me."

Kaiba growled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Trying to figure out what Mokuba likes about you. What else?"

Jonouchi felt himself blush again. Maybe actually getting to know and befriending him? That sounded reasonable. But Jonouchi said none of this. Instead he fumed in silence until the car pulled up to his complex. The entire time, he felt Kaiba's eyes on him. He wasn't sure how to take it. And he sure as hell wasn't going to draw attention to it. Jonouchi moved to get out of the car without a word to Kaiba, but he felt him grab his wrist. He jerked at the touch.

"I figured I should say this. You've done well for yourself as a duelist." Kaiba wasn't looking at Jonouchi anymore. "And I'm sorry about the last tournament. You were better than it though."

Silence. Kaiba released Jonouchi, and he said, "Good night," essentially shoving Jonouchi out the car and driving off.

Confused, Jonouchi stared off after the car. What had just happened?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Phase 1

 **A very real thing about living a life that is beyond your stress capacity is the potential to fall into addiction. Everyone expresses their addictions differently; all of them can be quite dangerous.**

The pill bottle rattled as Kaiba poured twelve Ibuprofens into the palm of his hand. He popped them in his mouth and swallowed them dry. He tossed the pill bottle into his end table and burrowed himself into his bed, staring at the time. It was 5:30 in the morning on a weekend.

Last night was blur. After returning home from dinner, Mokuba had found energy to talk about Jonouchi.

"See? There's no reason to hate him, and you showed it. Can't you just put aside your bad blood and at least be more civil with him?"

"I don't want to talk about Jonouchi." He hadn't wanted to even _think_ about Jonouchi. His strange thoughts about the blond that night had disturbed him enough. It had to have been the alcohol.

"Why not? You got along so well with him," Mokuba had said.

"Because I'm tired," Kaiba had said as he removed his tie completely. At the time, he knew very well that he wasn't going to bed anytime soon, but Mokuba didn't have to know that. "Now get on to bed. It's late."

The strange thoughts had continued throughout the night as Kaiba had an extended nightcap, drinking whiskey until the early hours of the morning. What disturbed Kaiba was how his first thoughts when he saw Jonouchi that night was how nice he looked dressed up. It was amazing how getting cleaned up changed a person, but Kaiba didn't want to go from hating Jonouchi to obsessing over how he looked in a matter of a few hours. There was something very wrong with that. His distress pushed on throughout the night up to this very moment as he curled up in the bed staring at the clock. He wasn't _that_ way. He didn't want to be. But he couldn't deny how his interests fell on men rather than women. It was a phase, and it was just unfortunate that he realized he was in such a phase due to Jonouchi the night before. Maybe he just felt that way because he knew that Jonouchi was a homosexual. Just convenience. That must've been it. _Just a phase._

Kaiba's eyes drooped. He was feeling the entirety of the Ibuprofen he had taken. The world around him felt like silk, almost as if he were on a hammock. There was a twinge of pain in his chest, a fleeting surge of panic, but it was insignificant. The Ibuprofen did the work. Kaiba, however, couldn't stay in bed. If he fell asleep now, he would sleep late into the afternoon. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to model to Mokuba. Inhaling, Kaiba steeled himself against the impending swimming of his head as he got up. It didn't help. He hunched over himself and cradled his head in his hands. At least he didn't feel any pains or the need to vomit.

That was step one. Kaiba glanced up at his bathroom door. If he could take a hot shower and down some coffee, he would be fine. That was step two; he just needed to do it. He kicked off his sheets and swung his legs to the side of his bed. His bare feet touched the plush carpet, and he forced himself to stand.

Shower.

Coffee.

Maybe with a shot in it. He needed to get things out of his mind, and he needed to be in a good enough mood to handle both Mokuba and Jonouchi that evening. He could only imagine the high energy. It was the weekend, a period of time when Kaiba tried to relax a little, though it was always a laughable attempt at it.

There was a knock on his door. Who in God's green earth was at his door at this hour? He wanted them fired.

"What?" he croaked out.

"Seto, it's me. Can I come in?"

This gave him more time to orient himself. He cleared his throat and called him in. Sitting back on his bed, Kaiba watched as Mokuba walked in and found a spot next to him. The raven-haired teen said, "So what time did you get to bed last night?"

"Late. Why are you up?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You look awful."

Kaiba didn't want to even see himself.

"Anyway, I couldn't sleep. It's that time of year again," Mokuba said, his hands wrapped around each other. He stared at the floor. It dawned on Kaiba. It was October. The month Kaiba Gozaburo threw himself from the Kaiba Corp. building and the month that Kaiba Seto became the official CEO of Kaiba Corp. "I wanted to check if you were okay, but…"

Hesitant, Mokuba glanced up at Kaiba.

Kaiba looked across the room, not staring at anything in particular. He fought back the slow-motion memory of Gozaburo bellowing at the board members, at him, at Mokuba. How he ran through the window and plummeted. The initial shock of the movement. And then Kaiba running to the broken window only to see and hear a wailing car with a speck of burgundy, the color of Gozaburo's suit, embedded in it. He remembered Mokuba rushing to his side and him blocking the child's view from the top. Kids never needed to see that.

No wonder he was feeling so shitty.

"Seto?"

"Nevermind me," Kaiba said, closing his eyes. He inhaled. "There's too much to do for us to dwell on that man."

"You're right." Mokuba patted on his thighs and gave Kaiba a long gaze. "But you'd tell me if something was bothering you, right?"

"I tell you what I need to tell you," Kaiba said simply. Mokuba scowled, but Kaiba placed a hand on the top of his brother's head and ruffled his hair. He finally stood, as gracefully as he could. He suspected that he was still a little woozy from earlier. "Let me shower. I can't sleep."

"Can we have an American-style breakfast?"

"Of course not. That's just disgusting."

"Come on, Seto. I hear it's the best way to cure a hangover."

"I'm not hungover."

"Sure. And Yugi is seven feet tall."

"Fine." He couldn't lie. It sounded good, and for the most part, he felt there was some grain of truth in the idea of those breakfasts. Kaiba strode across his room to his closet and grabbed some jeans and a button-up shirt. "Go get ready. And _you_ find a place. I'm not in the mood."

Mokuba hopped off the bed and rushed out the room. A wide grin was on his face. Kaiba smiled at that. His brother, even if he was more combative, was still someone who pushed him onward. He had no idea what he would do without him. He'd have no one, except maybe Isono, and that was just pathetic. All the more reason to keep the kid happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Dreamy**

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait, all. There have been personal problems building up that have had to take priority and that have just completely preoccupied me. What happens with Jonouchi's visit to the Kaiba brothers? We shall see!**

"Do you ever get the feeling that Kaiba is...spiraling?" Jonouchi said. He sat on a cooler as Honda tinkered with his motorcycle. His friend's eyes were focused on the fuel injection.

"What does it matter? Let him spiral," Honda said.

"That's kind of cruel. You wouldn't say that about anyone else, I bet."

"Yeah. Because it's Kaiba. He's a fucking asshole and deserves what he gets." His eyes hadn't left the bike.

This was not a pretty side of Honda. Jonouchi frowned and then blew at his bangs. "What about Mokuba? The kid doesn't deserve to see his brother go off the deep end."

Honda gritted his teeth. His jaw was tense, as if he was restraining himself from saying something with all his might. Something in Jonouchi snapped.

"What? You don't think Mokuba _deserves_ that, do you? That kid has been nothing but kind to us ever since Death T-"

"Don't get me started on Death T."

"I won't. But you can't hold that against them anymore. They've changed a lot since then, and you know my dad...Do you really think that Kaiba deserves to go down that road?"

"Do you want me to answer honestly?"

Jonouchi sighed, frustrated. "Then would you wish anything that my dad did to me on anyone else?"

Honda fell silent. After a moment, he shook his head.

"Then try to act concerned when I tell you that I think Kaiba is showing...addict behavior."

Honda sat back on the floor of the garage. He said, "Seriously, one dinner with the Kaiba brothers and now you're all concerned for them. It's like with Yugi. The second he started working together with Kaiba his empathy toward them just skyrocketed. Are they putting something in the food? Or did you develop a crush on Kaiba-?"

"Fuck. Just because I'm gay and just because I'm concerned about Kaiba does not mean I like him that way." Scowling, Jonouchi stood and kicked the cooler with his heel. "Geez, Honda. I thought we were through with this. You know what? Forget about it. I'm leaving. I gotta meet up with Mai."

"Jou, I'm sorry."

"I don't wanna hear it," Jonouchi said and walked out of the garage. He ignored Honda calling out for him and ended up at a bus stop routed for Mai's hotel.

Out of everyone, except Yugi, Mai was the most understanding if not obnoxious about Jonouchi's sexual orientation. She was there whenever Yugi wasn't available to vent at, and she always seemed to know what to say to make him feel less like a freak and less misunderstood. The problem was that she was always in and out of town. Most of the time, Mai was going to international duels, ones that she pushed him to join (but he never did). Because of this, Mai had no official homebase in Domino. Homebase was the next city over. The bus stopped in front of him, and he hopped on. Honda's words burned him. The assumption that he may have a crush on Kaiba...He had done that multiple times before. Anytime Jonouchi showed any compassion toward a guy Honda didn't like he was accused of liking said guy. He thought that the last time was it, but apparently he was wrong. Jonouchi didn't think that Honda would ever fully accept him.

The problem was that Jonouchi did think Kaiba was cute, especially when he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to admit to Honda this. It would just validate the other's suspicions. He didn't want to make things weird with Kaiba and Yugi, so he didn't want to tell Yugi. That left Mai. He took out his phone and texted her.

"Can we talk about him? I'm a little worried."

He stared at the phone until she responded.

"Sure, hun. We need some code name though. I have a lot of 'hims' in my life. ;)"

"Will be in lobby, Jou."

His cheeks burned at that. While he was comfortable with talking about some details in his love life, the second Mai found that he could be a confidant she removed all filters and talked about anything guy related. He wondered if it had anything to do with his orientation. Jonouchi inhaled sharply. Not everything could be attributed to that. He shook his head.

The bus stopped at the junction near Mai's hotel. Jonouchi hopped off and hurried down the path and into the hotel. There she sat, scrolling idly on her phone. She broke out into a large smile when she saw him.

"There you are. You need to get your driver's license, hun. You could've gotten here in no time."

"No thanks. Cars are expensive."

"They don't have to be. Especially when you go abroad for tournaments." Mai stood from her spot and walked over to him. She rattled her car keys. "Let's get going. I wanna hear all about Kayoko and your date tonight."

"Kayoko? Date?"

"Yeah. You _know_. Kayoko." She took him by the elbow and tugged him away, outside and to the parking garage. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as he stumbled after her. Realization dawned on him. He felt thick from not figuring it out. She found her car and got in. Jonouchi followed and shut the door to the car. The top of her car was up.

"Does he really have to go by 'Kayoko'?"

"You got a better one?"

"Plenty."

She leaned toward him, smiling. "Well, I think the name suits him." She sat back abruptly and started the car. She drove it out of the garage. "So what's up?"

He poured his heart out about his concerns he had for Kaiba and Mokuba, Mai nodding as he spoke. Finally, she said, "What got you so invested? Didn't you hate Kaiba even a few weeks ago?"

Jonouchi sighed. "You can't just walk around hating people forever. I'm just trying to grow up, even if Kaiba doesn't want to. I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone, and that includes Kaiba."

"Mhm. And it's not because of your need to fix things and those gorgeous blue eyes."

"Ha. Funny. Now let's get some food."

"Yeah, yeah, you human garbage disposal."

It wasn't long until he stood at the front doors of the mansion. With the grandness of the home, Jonouchi felt like an insect. He shook the thought out of his head. This was probably how Kaiba intimidated others, but it wasn't going to intimidate him. He knocked on the door and waited. The night before popped into his head. The civil conversation, Kaiba's careful apology, his collar bones. Jonouchi blushed. He was here to test out a game, not gush over an inaccessible guy. Inaccessible in _many_ ways.

"Pull yourself together, Katsuya. You probably won't see him."

The door jerked open, and one of the staff members at the mansion greeted him.

Mokuba was quick to intercept. He stood at the entrance wearing a T-shirt with an ice cream cone on it. He said, "Jonouchi, you're here. I was worried that my brother scared you away."

Jonouchi laughed as he walked in, hands in his pockets. "Your brother doesn't scare me. Just a thorn in my side, is all."

He followed Mokuba down the corridor of the mansion. Their footsteps echoed as they walked.

The only times that Kaiba actually scared him was whenever Mokuba was in trouble. Somehow, his first instinct was to go full on mother bear whenever that happened. All other times, his ego and his elitism just was maddening. They didn't agree with much, which Jonouchi was realizing was odd, since they had more in common than he originally thought. Sometimes he thought that Kaiba was simply being contrarian to get a rise out of him. God...Jonouchi wished that he would chill and show some vulnerability for once.

Nervous, Jonouchi glanced at Mokuba. He said, "But since you mentioned him, is your brother here?"

Mokuba laughed. "Seto's here. He is currently _not_ not working in his office."

"Oh. So it's just you and me then."

"Sure. Up until dinner."

"Aw, man...Is it going to be all fancy and formal?"

"Seto always makes things seem formal, but no. We're not eating in the dining room."

Jonouchi huffed. At least he didn't have to worry about Kaiba until dinner. He turned his eyes up to the rest of the house. It was just like he remembered from a few years ago. Grand but not grand enough to hold the older Kaiba's ego in. Pristine and perfect with its wainscotting and crown molding and gray walls. They walked past leather furniture, which he was sure was real leather, and large paintings that could have been in museums. He tried not to look too awestruck. Maybe it wasn't just like he remembered from a few years ago. After ago, then, the Kaiba brothers _were_ trying to kill them.

A hint of coffee hit his nose. The smell grew stronger as they kept walking until...Jonouchi gaped. Kaiba stood at the countertop of the kitchen sipping at what appeared to be a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Unlike last night, the CEO was without his business attire, and also wore a casual plain blue T-shirt-a v-neck, Jonouchi noticed-and jeans that Jonouchi refused to look at lest he show a semblance of attraction towards Kaiba.

"Oh, hey, Seto. I figured you were still in your office."

"What isn't done can wait until tomorrow," Kaiba said. He sipped the coffee, not bothering to turn to meet Jonouchi.

"Uh-huh. Right. And it has nothing to do with you running on three hours of sleep."

Kaiba turned to face them. "No. I've worked with less sleep."

Mokuba smiled up at Jonouchi. "Well, it looks like my brother's joining us."

Great.

"Let's get going," Kaiba said and walked out of the kitchen, a book in hand, to another room. Jonouchi assumed it was a small entertainment room for the brothers. He sat on the floor in front of the couch. Kaiba arched a brow at him. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable on the couch?"

"Nah. Everyone knows that playing video games on the floor gives you an advantage," Jonouchi said. He smiled at him, tossing a wink in for good measure.

Kaiba simply stared back and sat on the couch, opening the book.

"You're not even going to watch us play?"

"You'll be writing a report for me later, so what's the point?"

"What? Nobody said _anything_ about a _report_."

"It won't kill you to show you're literate."

Mokuba brought the game in but glared at the two of them. Kaiba sighed deeply and sat with his back to the arm of the couch. His slippered feet sprawled across the rest of it.

"Hey!" Mokuba rushed to the couch. "I wanted to sit there!"

"A recent study shows that sitting on the floor while playing video games give you an advantage," Kaiba said flatly.

Not sure how to respond, Jonouchi gaped at the two going back and forth. How smiles slowly curled on their faces.

"Fine! I'll sit on the floor."

They settled on the floor and started the game. They played for a few hours without distraction until Jonouchi felt the couch shift behind him and a large thump. He turned to see Kaiba sleeping peacefully, softly breathing. On the floor sat the book.

"He hasn't been sleeping well lately," Mokuba said. "This month is usually bad for him."

Jonouchi looked at Mokuba curiously. "Why?"

"It's the month that Gozaburo died and Seto took over Kaiba Corp. There's a lot of stress associated with this month."

Jonouchi nodded. He had heard the stories, but what was true and what was not always eluded him. He picked up the book-a collection of Sagawa Chika's poetry and literary analyses. Who the hell was that? He shook his head, placed the book onto an end table, and returned his gaze to Kaiba. There was little movement, except the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Who knew that such an angry person was so peaceful in his sleep? Jonouchi's eyes trailed down from his face down his neck to his collar bones-

"We should let him sleep. I honestly think he had less than three hours of sleep last night."

Jonouchi jumped. He had forgotten himself. "Should we wake him up for dinner?"

Mokuba thought for a moment. "Nah. Let him sleep…"

Jonouchi nodded. He felt relieved. And comforted. By what? He wasn't sure. However, he was disappointed too, and that's what he was afraid of.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: An Amber Aurora Borealis**

 **A/N: I have come to terms that this story will be much longer, considering that it covers a span of two years before the start of "Path". That being said, I am working on the sequel to "Path" because that story also wants to come out.**

 **Also, I have started including Sagawa Chika into this story. She was a Japanese modernist who was before her time. A lot of her writing makes me think of this world's Kaiba. Hope you like the use of it!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

"Hair disheveled, chest splayed out, a madwoman is drifting.

A crowd of white words breaks upon the crepuscular ocean.

A torn accordion,

White horse, and black horse storm across over it, frothing."

-Sagawa Chika, _Ocean of Memory_

His birthday was tomorrow. Investors and employees and others, like Yugi, would try to convince him to be celebratory of it, but all he wanted to do was continue with business as usual. Meetings that dominated his calendar, whether in person or via teleconference, and emails-so many, mind-numbing emails. Mind-numbing sounded good to him, but staring at a screen for an extended period of time did not make for good relief for a migraine. Kaiba popped his new prescription for sumatriptan into his mouth and downed it with the rest of his whiskey. His head was killing him, and the day was only half over. The migraines had started after he graduated from high school. They became progressively worse over time, but for the most part, he warded them off with acetaminophen if he caught them early enough. If he didn't catch them early, he lost time that he could have been using for work. It had been fine until a few months back when he ended up with a migraine that lasted an entire day and lost another day and a half. To be an effective and successful CEO, he couldn't have that. He couldn't cancel last minute because of some ailment that normally, in the past, he could have muscled through. He couldn't show weakness.

Sitting at his desk, Kaiba read the bottle. 'Take one every six hours'. He had already started veering off that directive a few weeks ago. The pain would be relentless, and sometimes, there was a meeting he had to get to in less than thirty minutes or some office fire he had to put out because his employees were so incapably stupid. Even now was a blessing. He had a fifteen-minute break between a meeting with the Board of Directors and a teleconference with the management of Kaiba Corp. London, Sydney, and Paris. Kaiba dropped his head in his hands, letting the pill bottle fall to the desk. Then he had to visit some potential investors at a restaurant. Then he had to visit his and Mokuba's old orphanage to follow-up on any charitable work that was planned. Then...Then...Then...There was always something. Kaiba inhaled deeply.

Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him, but the migraine persisted and the world and his responsibilities started to mount higher and higher and higher. He considered taking a second pill. And he would have, but there was a knock on his door and Mokuba entered the office. His brother gave him one look and said, "Go home. It's not going away anytime soon."

"Who tipped you off?"

"Kanna. She knows everything." Mokuba turned off the lights and crossed the room. Kaiba was instantly grateful for the gesture. The younger Kaiba sat across from the older. He said, "Maybe you should get a second opinion on your migraines. They seem to be getting worse. Seto, aren't there ways to prevent them instead of treating them when they happen?"

Kaiba didn't answer. He applied pressure to his eye sockets with his palms. There were preventatives, but that would have required a complete change in how he ran things. There was a slight imperfection in the grand scheme of things. One that he was trying to stamp out.

"You really should go home. I can handle the rest of your schedule," Mokuba said. Kaiba spared a glance and saw Mokuba pull up his schedule on his tablet. His eyes went wide and shot to Kaiba. "Geez, why don't you schedule breaks? You schedule everything else."

"I don't have the convenience of breaks, Mokuba. You know that."

"It's like talking to a wall sometimes." Mokuba sighed and looked at Kaiba. He could see the exasperation in his younger brother's face. Something else was mixed in the expression, but Kaiba couldn't place it. "Just go home. I have this. I'll see you tonight."

Mokuba gestured impatiently for Kaiba to move, and then he took the office phone and rang someone. Kaiba stood and grabbed his briefcase, grabbing some reports from the finance department. Mokuba, however, took them away, shaking his head.

"Go home and rest. No work."

Kaiba threw Mokuba a look, but he relented. He gave his neck a deep, final rub, and he walked out of the office, feeling Mokuba's eyes on him as he left. Kanna nodded at him as he exited.

"I will see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Kaiba. Do have some rest."

He ignored her and took to the elevator, making sure no one else joined him. He would comply, but he wasn't happy about it. As the doors began to close, Kaiba pulled out his phone and scrolled through some emails, but the elevator didn't start moving. He looked up from his phone. The doors weren't closed. Instead, Jonouchi rushed in through reopening doors, arm extended to activate the sensors. The blond stumbled forward and fell flat on his face. Normally, he would have snorted, but he just was in no mood for antics, especially Jonouchi's.

"Must you always make a scene wherever you are?" His eyes were on his phone.

Jonouchi sat up. The doors closed behind him. He smiled. "Only for you, money bags."

Jonouchi frowned suddenly. "Where are you going? Are you working banker's hours now?"

"No."

A sharp pain surged in his head. Kaiba cringed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. He could tell that Jonouchi was staring at him.

"What? It's enough that I'm stuck in an elevator with you now." He kept his eyes shut, blocking the light out. It seemed to not get any worse.

"You look like shit."

"Eloquent"

"Well, ya do. What's going on?" Jonouchi grunted as he stood and found a spot next to Kaiba.

"Why on Earth would I tell you?"

"Dunno."

That was an infuriating response. Kaiba glanced at Jonouchi. The blond looked at him curiously, his head tilted to the side waiting. His lips parted in anticipation. Kaiba had to stop himself from physically flinching. What business did he have considering Jonouchi's lips? He needed a distraction. He blurted out, "Migraines. I've been having migraines lately. Mokuba has decided that I need to go home."

"Ahhh…"

An awkward silence followed. Kaiba shut his eyes again. Maybe he'd get some quiet, but Jonouchi inhaled deeply. "So, my little sister gets migraines. They usually knock her down for a day or so. She normally has to hide out in a room by herself. No lights. No weird smells. No sound...Sorry."

"It's fine," Kaiba said. It wasn't. He wasn't sure why he didn't just say so. He blamed it on the migraine. He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Honestly just think a cup of coffee might help."

It was partially true.

"So, let's go then."

Kaiba's eyes snapped open. He shot a bewildered look at Jonouchi. "What?"

"Let's. Get. Coffee. While it was great seeing Mokuba, talking business is kinda a drag. Could use a cup of joe too." Kaiba didn't answer. "Come on. There's a coffeehouse just down the block. It's one of them bougie places you'd like too."

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Kaiba still looked at Jonouchi. What angle was he trying to get at? And what was the meeting between Jonouchi and Mokuba? Shouldn't he have known about that? He desperately wanted to take a look at the calendar now.

"So?"

Kaiba stood straight and broke eye contact. It wasn't as if the deadbeat was annoying him at the moment. He started walking towards the front doors. He said, "Why not? But you're buying your own coffee."

"No problem."

He heard Jonouchi hurry after him.

"So, what do you normally get?"

"Espresso with tonic water. Why?"

He saw Jonouchi's face screw up. An expected reaction. Jonouchi shrugged and said, "No reason."

Again, an uncomfortable silence fell between them as they walked to the coffeehouse. Kaiba knew the place. Jonouchi was right. It was bougie, and contrary to what Jonouchi thought, he wasn't entirely a fan of the place. Too many people. Many of them there to pose as something that they weren't. He tossed a look at Jonouchi, who had fallen into step with him. This one, though, seemed to have no pretenses. It was convenient for him, and was it just an excuse to socialize with him? Kaiba felt his ears heat up. He was thinking too much about this. They crossed the street across from the building. The coffeehouse sat on the first floor at the corner of the building. Kaiba hid irritation from his face. The place was busy.

"You find a quiet place to sit, and I'll get the coffee," Jonouchi said and left before Kaiba could protest.

Kaiba sighed. He could just abandon Jonouchi-hightail it out of there. But he felt compelled to stay. With one eye on Jonouchi, Kaiba found a secluded table and sat. He looked at his wrists, increasingly thin. He'd lost weight. So much so that Mokuba was making comments. He just didn't have much of an appetite these days. There were too many things to worry about, and he had to find ways to get a lightning jumpstart and a kill switch. Food normally was not in that equation. He rested his cheek on his hand and stared hard at the table. What was he even doing here? Why was Jonouchi being so friendly? All Kaiba had done to him for the better part that they had known each other was insult and degrade Jonouchi. He snorted. Like a dog. Always returning to its master.

A coffee cup was placed in front of Kaiba. He looked up to see Jonouchi standing next to him, sipping at his own cup. It was then that Kaiba realized that his migraine was receding. He looked away from Jonouchi and took a sip from his cup. Jonouchi sat across from him, smiling.

"You're already looking better. Maybe you just needed to be away from work," he said. He hunched over the table, and his grin grew wider. "How many hours does the CEO of Kaiba Corp. have to invest in?"

Without thinking, Kaiba said, "Too much."

His first tasks for Kaiba Corp. usually started at six in the morning and the last ones ended around eight, though increasingly the past several months, Kaiba was pushing work until almost three in the morning.

He revised his answer. "A little more than a hundred hours."

"Yeah. Too much. Whataya do? Eat, sleep, work?"

"I have a business to run."

"According to Mokuba, you have a business to micromanage."

"That's his opinion, and I don't think you are in any position to judge." There was edge to Kaiba's words now. What business did Mokuba have sharing that opinion? And why did it matter? Why did it matter that he was worried Jonouchi was judging him?

Jonouchi held his hands up in defense, his charming smile spreading across his face. He said, "Sorry, sorry, money bags. Just making small talk."

Kaiba turned his attention to his grip on his coffee cup. He squeezed. "But why?"

He watched Jonouchi consider his words, placing a finger on his chin. "Because I want to put the past behind us? Besides, it's your birthday tomorrow."

"And why do you know that?"

"Because, Kaiba," Jonouchi said. He added in a dramatic eye roll. "All of your admirers made it known for each of the four years of high school. Hard to forget. So, what're you gonna do?"

"It depends on what's my calendar."

"And let me guess. Meetings."

"Precisely."

Jonouchi smacked his palms on the table. "Come on. You're gonna be twenty! Legal drinking age!"

The legal drinking age didn't matter to Kaiba. He stared at Jonouchi blankly.

"Aren't you going to celebrate?"

"I doubt it. I'm too busy," Kaiba said. He sipped at his coffee.

"Well, a busy man needs to love himself too."

"Must you say it that way?"

"Of course." Jonouchi leaned over the table. "How about this? You, me, and Yugi celebrate. Can be all low-key."

"You only want to celebrate because you'll be able to bum drinks off me."

"Geez! I got no ulterior motive!" Jonouchi leaned back in his seat. "Would you rather it be just you and Yugi?"

"And why would I want that?"

Jonouchi blinked his eyes at Kaiba. The natural light of the coffeehouse caught them just right-an amber aurora borealis. Kaiba took a quick sip of his coffee, averting his eyes from Jonouchi's.

"Aren't you two friends?"

"We're business associates." He wasn't going to fall into any traps getting too involved in his investments. But he could see doubt in Jonouchi's eyes. Kaiba felt like he had to explain himself. "I don't necessarily feel comfortable with the baggage friendship comes with. Not with Yugi."

Jonouchi was listening intently.

Kaiba continued. "The only person I've felt comfortable talking to about anything is Mokuba. And he's outgrowing me. He's going to have a life of his own. Friends, significant others, pets even...It's a waste to invest so much time and effort to have someone like that. Who isn't a family member. They could easily leave, and God knows what they could do with what they've learned about you. Friendship requires you to be vulnerable, and I can't afford to be friends."

"Sounds lonely." Jonouchi finished his coffee. "How about you and me celebrate?"

"Didn't you hear a word I said?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But consider me as a drinking buddy. No strings attached. I don't ask anything too personal. You don't ask anything too personal. We have a healthy distance, and we both can moan about how work drives you crazy. Look, Yugi is out to make friends. Me? I'm just out to have fun. And it looks like you need it. So. Tonight. Or even now? My place?"

Kaiba sighed at this. It was an idea...He gazed at Jonouchi. He looked eager. Shaking his head, Kaiba finished his drink. He was going to regret this. He knew it. Finally, he said, "My place. I have better spirits there. I'll call Isono."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Birthday

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Life has been complicated and demanding and stressful. But I haven't forgotten you all. Enjoy!**

"Why do you hate me?" Jonouchi said. He watched as Kaiba hesitated as he topped off their drinks with scotch. The bottle was nearly empty. It had barely been touched beforehand. As the afternoon bled into the evening, the bottle continued to empty and the the competition between the two of them-a fighting game on Mokuba's console-kept them entertained. It had overall been pleasant until Kaiba, looking sour, sat back on the couch, in the furthest corner away from Jonouchi, and sipped at his drink.

"I thought we agreed on no personal questions." Kaiba set his drink to the side and grabbed the controller, fiddling with it.

"Didn't realize it was so personal." Jonouchi smirked. "You used to be an open book about your hatred."

Kaiba sat quietly for a moment and then started another match, thrashing Jonouchi's character the second the countdown stopped. Jonouchi yelped and struggled to catch up, but it had already been decided. His character flew across the screen and hit the ground hard.

"Hey, I didn't know we could cheat."

"It wasn't cheating. You just weren't paying attention."

Jonouchi sighed and scratched his head. He made a note that he needed a trim and turned his attention to Kaiba. The brunet had picked up his phone and began scrolling. His sharp blue eyes focused on a few texts that he sent quick replies to. It wasn't Jonouchi's business if the executive wanted to take a second to handle whatever was going on-he assumed it had something to do with Kaiba Corp. Jonouchi leaned back on the couch and rested his arm on the back of it. He hadn't known what to expect coming back to the mansion. A part of him thought that Kaiba would change his mind during the ride and Jonouchi would find himself face first in the asphalt as the limo drove away. But that didn't happen. Kaiba simply let Jonouchi take the lead. It was strange. In his mind, hanging out with Kaiba should have been difficult, rigid, but at the moment, he was flexible with whatever Jonouchi had in mind. There was no griping, no resistance.

Suddenly, he heard Kaiba sigh loudly. He pulled a tablet from the end table near them and pulled up what looked like a calendar. It came straight out of a sci-fi game. A hologram projected a chart of days in blue. Events were printed in white. Some days had different icons, like a bell or box or checkmark. What really draw Jonouchi's attention was how packed the days looked. There was little blank space. Just looking at it made Jonouchi feel anxious. He tossed a look at Kaiba as he thumbed through a few dates, as his jaw tensed and a sneer was a ghost on his face. It must've been the alcohol because Jonouchi decided to scoot close to Kaiba and look over his shoulder to see the calendar. He guffawed.

"You schedule when you go to bed? Freaking _two in the morning?_ And when you commute?" Jonouchi reached over without thinking and scrolled to the top of a day. Next to him, he heard Kaiba protest, but Jonouchi seemed to have caught him off-guard. He wrinkled his nose at the morning hours. "You wake up at five and you've blocked off an hour and a half to get ready. Do you schedule when you breathe?"

Kaiba yanked the tablet away. "Will you stop that?"

"Where's the fun planned?"

"When you're in my position, you _have to_ schedule like this." He brought the tablet back in front of him and tapped on a date, quickly adding a meeting and sending invitations to people. Didn't Kaiba have someone who did this for him?

Jonouchi watched as yet another wall of white print appeared on a date. He lifted his eyes and gazed at Kaiba. No wonder he was always salty. Kaiba's eyes suddenly met Jonouchi's for a few seconds, and just as quickly as that happened, they turned away from each other, Jonouchi returning to his side of the couch. His heart thumped in his chest. In the back of his mind, he heard Mai cackling-so what if Jonouchi had a thing for Kaiba's eyes? He was sure that he could find plenty of people that did.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Kaiba pulling out a pill bottle and popping several pills in his mouth. He chased it with the scotch.

"Whoa. What are you doing?" Jonouchi shifted to face Kaiba on the couch. He made a mental note to not cross the space between them despite his strong desire to snatch the glass from his eyes.

With an irritated look on his face, Kaiba said, "I have a headache."

As if it explained the unknown amount of pain medications that Kaiba just mixed.

Jonouchi opened and shut his mouth, unsure of what to say. They didn't have the type of relationship where he could voice concerns like that. At least without Kaiba biting his head off. He watched the lithe body hunch over. Kaiba massaged his temples, and Jonouchi resolved to do something about it. He stood, walked out the room, and retraced his steps to the kitchen. He ran into Mokuba there.

"Jonouchi!" Mokuba looked tired, and Jonouchi could only imagine what Kaiba would have looked like had he stuck with his schedule that day. He had a good brother. Mokuba gave a suspicious look. "What are you doing here?"

Grinning, he responded, "Oh, you know. Just hanging out with my sworn enemy for his birthday. Do you guys have any water bottles? Kaiba's got another headache and I'd rather not see him try to drink it away."

Mokuba's expression shifted to disappointment. "Oh. He's drinking?"

"Yeah," Jonouchi said sheepishly. "Did not realize he could handle his liquor this well and I don't want him to overdo it."

He didn't want to mention the painkiller-alcohol cocktail.

"How 'bout it? You and me get back to your brother, play some video games, and sober him up for his birthday." Jonouchi said. He gave Mokuba a thumbs up.

In response, Mokuba yawned. "I'll try. It's been a long day. Seto had six meetings scheduled today and three Kaiba Land inspections. I was supposed to be home around eight."

It was ten-thirty according to the kitchen clock. If Kaiba had gone along with his calendar, he would still have had another three hours before he was done with his workday. Jonouchi shuddered.

"Doesn't he at least have someone to do the inspections?"

"Yes." Mokuba sighed and dug under the island of the kitchen. He returned with an armful of bottled water. "Come on. Before he starts drinking from the bottle."

Jonouchi heard the bitterness in the raven-haired teen's voice, and he felt like he had overstepped his bounds here. He followed Mokuba out the kitchen to the game room. As he entered the room, he paused to look at Kaiba, who had taken up the controller again and rather viciously trounced the CPUs. Probably a distraction from his headache. The brunet had smelled faintly of cloves when they were sitting so close to each other. That and alcohol. The cloves were nice, and Jonouchi wouldn't have minded if he became more familiar with the scent without the presence of alcohol. He scrutinized Kaiba-his hands, his exposed vascular arms, his shoulders...He stopped at the crook of his neck, where his top two buttons were unbuttoned and his black tie hung loose. There, the scent had been strongest. Jonouchi blushed, and he quickly followed after Mokuba.

"Hey, bro." Mokuba, moved his drink glass out of reach, placed two water bottles in front of Kaiba and then sat in the middle of the couch.

Yeah. That was a good idea. Jonouchi's thoughts were getting carried away. Unscrewing the top of his bottle and taking a swig of water, he took the spot next to Mokuba.

The mere presence of Mokuba changed Kaiba in the way that Jonouchi expected. More open, friendlier, softer. He watched Kaiba set his controller to the side and asked about the meetings and inspections. Mokuba shook his head and simply said, "Things are great. We'll talk about the details later."

Kaiba looked disappointed and, after prompting from Mokuba, started drinking water. They chatted about the next day, seemingly skirting around the reason why Jonouchi had been chosen to hang out with on the eve of Kaiba's birthday. Jonouchi would have liked to hear more reasoning on this, but he doubted he would get anything. Kaiba liked to make things complicated. As the brothers talked, Jonouchi reflected on their time together. They had spent at least ten hours with each other-four of which were a complete drunken blur for Jonouchi with a few possible duels and rummaging through the pantry for junk food and the rest were devoted solely to playing video games. Kaiba almost seemed like a normal guy up until a blanket of sadness randomly covered him and the gaming started; there suddenly was an edge to his words again and general goofing off, something that Jonouchi thought Kaiba was incapable of, ceased. He wanted to see more of the dorkier side of Kaiba; it was a drug that he didn't mind getting addicted to. He blinked realizing that Kaiba had locked eyes with Jonouchi for a moment.

Maybe he should ask him out. Jonouchi jumped at the thought and he took a gulp of water. No. No, no, no, no. He didn't even know if Kaiba swung that way. As he kept sipping at his water, he eyed Kaiba. Did he? He hadn't seen him with any girls, almost seemed revolted by them in high school, but he didn't schedule any time for freetime. Maybe he was asexual-aromantic? Something told him that Kaiba was not asexual. The look they shared together, unless Jonouchi was reading too much into it, bothered them; he saw it in the executive's expression. Maybe bi?

"Well, I'm going to bed. You two enjoy your slumber party," Mokuba said, interrupting Jonouchi's thoughts. The teen stood, stretching and walking out the room. "Night, Seto."

"Good night, Mokuba."

A silence fell upon them, and Kaiba brought his glass to his side and emptied the bottle of scotch into it.

Jonouchi made a face, but he reminded himself that he couldn't say anything about it. Instead, he said, "So what you wanna do now? We haven't eaten dinner yet."

"God, food is really all you think about."

"Hey, I think it's reasonable to think about food when we haven't eaten anything substantial at all today and it's almost eleven-thirty at night."

"I suppose you're right." Kaiba sank into the couch. "What are we eating then?"

"For a domineering CEO whose birthday we're celebrating, you're sure not making any decisions."

"I make decisions all day long. Can't I have at least my time off to not?"

"Touche'."

Jonouchi crossed his legs under him. He doubted Kaiba wanted to be out in public, especially with him. Maybe he could get the toothpick to gain a little weight. He took out his phone, typing in the website to his favorite pizza place.

"You are about to have the best pizza ever."

"Pizza?"

"Hey, if you had a preference, you shoulda said something sooner." He typed in his order. "Two large pizzas. One with onions and anchovies. The other will be veggie for your skinny ass."

"Onions and anchovies? Your tastes are…"

"Don't worry. The gang usually gives me shit for it too."

"And do we really need two large pizzas?"

"Back off. I know what I'm doing." Jonouchi finalized the order. As he submitted the order, he said to Kaiba, "My treat."

"My savior."

Again, they fell silent, and Kaiba returned to his phone. It looked like he was texting. They sat like that for about ten minutes until Jonouchi, again without thinking, said, "Why do you hate your birthday?"

He expected Kaiba to brush him off, but instead he got, "Why do you want to know?"

Why _did_ he want to know? Jonouchi rested his head on the couch. To figure out why the dragon lashed out so much during this month? No, that was only partially true. He set his lips tight. "Because you're sad."

Kaiba's eyes widened at Jonouchi, and Jonouchi thought he said the wrong thing. The brunet looked away and sipped at his drink almost reflexively.

"I thought-" He sighed. "It's complicated."

"Well, we got another thirty minutes til the pizzas get here. I think a genius like you can dumb it down for me by then."

For a moment, Kaiba stared at Jonouchi. He looked like he was at a loss for words, fighting against himself. He had always been fighting with himself though, and never had Jonouchi seen him waver so much.

"You know about Gozaburo."

"Yes."

"You know how he treated Mokuba and me."

"Yup."

"It was around this time where Gozaburo threw himself from the top of Kaiba Corp in front of the board and us. And when I took over the company."

"So you saw him kill himself?"

Kaiba glanced at Jonouchi. "Yes."

"Did you see the…"

"Yes."

"And Mokuba?"

"Mokuba didn't see Gozaburo after he went through the window. I didn't let him."

Kaiba didn't need someone telling him that he should have been happy without the man in his life; Jonouchi knew better. The shadow stuck with you. It did answer the question of why Mokuba seemed more adjusted. No matter what, seeing a dead body for the first time changed you. Especially in their case.

Jonouchi watched his face, noting the clench of his jaw. "He left me wanting revenge. I wanted to see his face when he realized that, not only did I take his company away from him, I ran it better than he ever could, with more success as a gaming and technology company than his war machine. I wanted him to see that he hadn't destroyed me, that I was stronger. But...I couldn't even get that."

It explained Kaiba a little. It made his behavior during Battle City slightly understandable, not okay-just understandable. The guy was trying to show that he had finally come into his own, that he had become his own man. The best at what he set out to do. Gozaburo had been bested by a teenager, and Kaiba saw that as a failure, that Gozaburo was unworthy of Kaiba Corp.-and when Kaiba lost to Yugi, he felt like he was just like Gozaburo. Unworthy.

Kaiba was just angry about everything. And that was the difference between him and Kaiba...well, among the obvious things. Kaiba held his abuse as a child close to his heart; he used it to shield himself to the point that it was swallowing him whole. Jonouchi pivoted at the sight of his abuse; he didn't want to feel the burden of it. Jonouchi gave him a soft look, but he jerked when he saw Kaiba, rubbing his eyes, grab his tablet again and pull up his calendar.

"Fuck. I'm canceling my mornings."

With every quick tap of his thin fingers, the white walls of text became smaller and smaller. Jonouchi, however, felt the walls between him and Kaiba reinforce. Jonouchi's phone suddenly rang. He checked-the delivery driver. As he stood, he said, "Be right back. Gonna get the 'za."

Kaiba grunted.

When Jonouchi returned, Kaiba had a new bottle of liquor sitting on the end table. Quietly, Jonouchi placed the boxes in front of him and sat. The executive was back to the console, playing a new game, a single-player RPG, red lining his eyes, a scowl affixed on his face.

What Kaiba needed was someone to talk to. And for some reason, Jonouchi, to his confusion, was the person. Despite Kaiba telling him that they weren't going to be personal. Jonouchi grabbed a piece of pizza and nudged Kaiba.

"Happy birthday, man. Have a piece of pizza with me."

 **End Note: Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Try It; You'll Like It

 **A/N: Yikes. Things have been crazy, guys. Sorry for the absence. But here's a longer chapter!**

Kaiba tried it, and, damn, did he like it. And it felt right.

It was during one of his international trips to the United States. He had some time one night, went to the hotel bar, and met someone that piqued his interest. After sharing a few drinks, they were in a room, bodies pressed up against each other and articles of clothing dropping to the floor. It was rough for his first time, but it was more enjoyable than doing it with the opposite sex.

Now, though, he was confused and distracted. What was he supposed to do now? Come out? Live a quiet, homosexual life with no audience (laughable)? Kaiba sipped at his espresso and tonic, and he signed a few documents. He was pretty sure that Kanna suspected something happened; he had caught her mentioning to another secretary that he seemed more at ease since the trip. While Kanna was great, she was a reminder that people loved to talk about anything gossip-worthy. For now, he just wanted to be discrete.

He heard a knock at the door. He lifted his eyes to see Mokuba...and the inspiration for his boldness in the US. His eyes widened momentarily, and he felt his ears heat up. Jonouchi.

"Hey, Seto." Mokuba held up a bag. "We brought you some udon noodles."

"Yeah, go ahead and eat so I can finish your leftovers," the blond said with a grin. He followed Mokuba up to his desk, and Kaiba tried hard not to stare. Of course, they started socializing more, with Mokuba around. But increasingly he was interested by Jonouchi. It felt strange too. What would Mokuba think? A hand waving in his face interrupted his thoughts. Jonouchi said, "Earth to Kaiba. You're being a space cadet."

Kaiba jumped in his seat, and he blushed realizing that he had indeed managed to stare. His eyes darted to Mokuba then to Jonouchi. He grabbed his drink and sipped at it, trying to look irritated. "You nagging me is not going to get me to eat any faster."

"Uh huh." Jonouchi stretched and sat on the edge of his desk.

Kaiba hated how comfortable the idiot was getting. Normally, if someone was getting too comfortable, Kaiba would nix them. But Jonouchi was proving to be good company, and they had a lot more in common with each other than they originally thought.

Next to Jonouchi, Mokuba opened the bag and pulled out a few containers. He placed two in front of himself, three in front of Jonouchi, and one in front of him. A smile was on his face as he passed out the chopsticks.

Maybe he _was_ getting a bit too comfortable. Kaiba scowled at the surface of his desk. He tried, again, to not stare. He needed to do something. He needed to reaffirm the ever-fading line that Kaiba had drawn between the two of them since the day he snubbed Jonouchi all those years ago in the game shop. He needed to push him away a little.

"Mokuba, you shouldn't feed the stray dogs. They'll start to follow you," Kaiba said.

Jonouchi hopped off the desk and turned to face Kaiba. His face was more shocked and agitated. Much of the bite back from Jonouchi had less aggression. His expression changed. Smiling, he said, "If I remember correctly, you were the one that first fed me."

"And I'll be the first to throw you out of my office."

Kaiba opened his container and glanced at the dark broth. Mokuba always brought Miso Nikomi Udon if there were no meetings during lunch time-a rare occasion. The dish was easy to come by, but Kaiba appreciated the thought. There was something comforting about the dark color absorbed by the udon and abura-age and the sprigs of green onions breathing life into the earthy combination. They all circled a perfect egg yolk at the center of the container. He took his chopsticks and picked at the pieces of fish cake. He glanced up at Jonouchi, who was opening his containers. Their eyes suddenly met, and Kaiba tried to nonchalantly look back at his food.

"You know," Jonouchi started.

Kaiba inwardly groaned. He hoped he wasn't going to push the subject. "What?"

Jonouchi slurped up some noodles. "You know...you don't have to look miserable when you're eating. You can at least try to enjoy your food."

"And how might I do that?" He tried to hide his amusement. It was charming how Jonouchi tried to push him out of his shell. There was a lot of resistance, but the attempts had become appreciated over time.

"I dunno. Maybe...waft? Is that a word?" He was looking at Mokuba. Mokuba nodded. Jonouchi continued, now making a wafting gesture. "Take a waft of your food. Breathe it in!"

"And savor it," Mokuba added. He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "You kinda just chew and swallow."

"I'm supposed to take tips from you two. Who I have had the misfortune of witnessing your devouring-no, inhaling of two large pizzas in one evening. That's a laugh."

Jonouchi rolled his eyes and then pointed his chopsticks to Kaiba. "Then laugh. Seriously. Wouldn't kill you to let your staff know that you don't always laugh maniacally when you _do laugh_."

"And why would I want to do that?" Kaiba pushed his half empty container of food to Jonouchi.

Jonouchi blinked, and Kaiba watched as he and Mokuba shared a look that he couldn't place. The blond said, "What? That's all your eating?"

Before he could answer, Mokuba cut in. "If you don't like it, we can go get something else."

"It's fine. I'm not very hungry."

"Maybe keep it for later?" Jonouchi offered.

"It's fine."

Lately, his appetite had evaporated. Food was not appealing. He only needed just enough to get him through his grueling days, though nowadays his days seemed to end at more reasonable hours, like around nine instead of three the next morning. Most of those days, Mokuba would invite Jonouchi over for dinner, and Kaiba would feel compelled to at least make some appearance. Those nights, Jonouchi would smirk and make some stupid remark about the hour, and he would manage to get Jonouchi to drink with him in his study when Mokuba went to bed. The other nights, Kaiba worked relentlessly at the office or at the mansion, and he was feeling it in his back and shoulders-which he prescribed himself a few fingers of scotch to ease the pain. Then there were the few days where he was quarantined in his bedroom, nursing a migraine or sometimes a hangover; those were the days when he wanted nothing to do with anyone and felt an extreme shame to be around Mokuba. He much preferred the days where he would have Jonouchi and Mokuba's company in the evenings. Then, food at least seemed less inconvenient, had some taste to it. Though that was always fleeting. Just like the udon dish today. A fleeting taste that he would then pass on to Jonouchi, who would enjoy it more than he would. Still, he was noticing the looks that Mokuba and Jonouchi were giving him. They needn't concern themselves with his eating. He felt fine. Most of the time.

Kaiba watched as Jonouchi ate at the leftovers with uncertainty. The blond paused multiple times to ask if he was sure and to that Kaiba scoffed each time. This wasn't so bad though. People had been concerned about him before. Yugi for sure. Mokuba most definitely. And Roland because he was paid to be concerned. But Jonouchi was another story. Jonouchi had started off not really giving a damn about him, and now he could imagine his brother and the idiot texting each other about his health and well-being. Kaiba had given no reason for this change in care. They drank together and talked. That was the extent of their relationship.

And Kaiba tried his damnedest to give Jonouchi no additional reason to care beyond what he felt was acceptable. It felt like he was failing.

He returned to his laptop and began to work. He couldn't focus though.

Was he not trying hard enough? Was his approach wrong? Was he letting his own interests keep him from doing what was necessary? He didn't want Jonouchi to care as much as he did. But his use of dog jabs had become unnecessarily mean in his mind and even so, they seemed to have less of an effect on Jonouchi over the few months they'd been socializing. Still, he found himself not wanting to hurt the blond. He'd done enough of that in high school, and increasingly, Kaiba wanted to fix it all and...he wasn't sure what he wanted to do beyond that. If he were being honest with himself, he wanted more time with Jonouchi. He couldn't ignore how much better he felt with him around. He couldn't ignore that he looked forward to texts about the usual, stupid things the blond texted about. The world seemed less painful with a friend like Jonouchi. He supposed Yugi felt similar. Though he doubted that Yugi caught himself looking at Jonouchi's lips sometimes-

Nothing was abnormal about this relationship. Nothing at all.

"Gee, Kanna told me you've been in a good mood lately, and all I'm getting is Mister Gloom here. What's with that?" Jonouchi slurped up some noodles.

"Yeah, Seto. You seem off today."

Kaiba tensed in his seat. "I just have a lot on my mind today."

He tried to ignore the curious looks. Deliberately, he began typing on his laptop.

"It's nothing interesting. It's dull and, quite frankly, stupid.."

"Hey, if it's bothering you, it can't be stupid," Jonouchi said.

Kaiba was caught off guard, and he paused, just staring at his laptop screen. He didn't know what to say that. He couldn't even get a read on what that meant. Of course, he knew what that meant. But he didn't know what it _meant_. He forced the gears in his brain back into place and started typing again. He'd pretend that it hadn't bothered him. That was for the best. The reaction essentially gave the message that he disagreed, end of story.

But Jonouchi shifted around and stretched. "Well, I'm hanging with you guys tonight, so I'll probably get it out of you then."

"Don't count on it," Kaiba said, his voice flat.

"Yeah, yeah." Jonouchi gathered the leftover styrofoam. "I'll take this to get sorted." He stood and walked out of the office.

When the door shut, Mokuba narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What's with you? You're being kind of shy."

"I'm not being shy. I just have-"

"A lot on your mind, yeah. So are you going to talk to Jou about it?"

"Why?"

Mokuba looked uncomfortable for a moment. He rubbed his arm and stared to the side. "I know you guys talk a lot after I go to bed."

Was Mokuba jealous? It used to be that they both confided in each other. Just the two of them. Kaiba felt his cheeks flush, and he moved to say something.

Mokuba cut him off. "I'm fine with it. I'm glad you can talk to him. And I'm glad that you…"

His brother looked like he was struggling to find the right words. Kaiba saved him from it. He said, "Yeah. I get it. But I don't talk to him about everything. We're not that close."

"Oh."

Kaiba glanced up from his screen. "What?"

"I just thought...nevermind. Forget it."

Kaiba stared at Mokuba intently. "I'm not going to forget it. What is it?"

Mokuba shook his head and said, "I don't get it. You two get along really well, and you spend a lot of time with him now. It's just nice to see you happy…"

It dawned on him what Mokuba was trying to say. He was not ready for this. "We're not having this conversation."

His brother jerked at his words initially, but he came back more confident. "So that's what's bothering you then-"

"And what is 'that', Mokuba? Because I'm pretty sure that there is nothing going on that you're insinuating."

Kaiba stood from his seat and went to leave his office.

"Seto, wait. Where are you going?"

"I need air, and I need to get away from this ridiculous conversation."

He didn't let Mokuba respond. He slammed the door behind him, and suddenly he met the concerned looks of Kanna and Jonouchi. Without a word, he walked past Jonouchi, stopping when he felt Jonouchi's hand wrap around his wrist.

"Hold up."

"I swear, Jonouchi, if you do not let go of me right now, I will have you thrown out."

"Okay, okay."

His wrist was released, and before Jonouchi could get a word in, Kaiba began to storm off.

"Hey, come on, Kaiba. What's wrong?" The blond was following him. His skin crawled. There was so much. He couldn't decide to say. It wouldn't be the truth though. He swung around and glared down at Jonouchi.

"My problem is you and Mokuba. My problem is that I have some _mutt_ following me around because I was an idiot and took pity on it and now I can't get anything done because I always see it. That's what's wrong, Jonouchi."

The room was silent.

Kaiba desperately hoped that Jonouchi would get mad and that they would fight and that they would stop whatever thing was going on between them. He suppressed the guilt of saying that to Jonouchi. It was for the best. Wasn't it? Why was he lashing out so much? Why couldn't he even talk to Mokuba about this? Why couldn't Jonouchi bawl up his fists and threaten him? He wanted something to happen. But Jonouchi didn't get mad. He just looked at Kaiba in confusion.

"You don't mean that."

Jonouchi was right, but he couldn't stand down now.

Kaiba glowered. "I most certainly do. Now get lost, mutt. I have a meeting I need to get to."

It was partially true. The meeting didn't start for another thirty minutes, but Jonouchi didn't need to know that. Kaiba took in one final look at Jonouchi, feeling shame wash over him at the sight of hurt in the blond's face. He tore away and stormed off, heading down the hall toward the rooftop access. He unlocked the door with his key card and climbed the stairs after making sure the door shut behind him.

The sky was textured with clouds trailing along side by side as if a farmer had taken a plow to them. Sunlight and blue peaked through them. Of course it was a beautiful day and he managed to be in a foul mood. He looked around the rooftop, looking for something to distract himself. He ended up sneering at the ledge that curved from the platform he stood on. The building needed a new look; it was dated, and it screamed Gozaburo's aesthetic. Sleek. Clean lines. That's what Kaiba Corp. was now. Not some dictator chique knock-off. Besides, the current state of the rooftop was not entirely user-friendly. With the state of things, with the platform like an island surrounded by an ocean, there were few ways to center himself. He returned to the access door and sat against it, feeling the breeze rustle his hair. Just a few minutes. That's all he needed to just straighten himself out. He brought a knee to his chest and propped his elbow on it. He rested his head.

This wasn't Mokuba's fault. The teen was just curious about what was going on. His chest tightened at the thought of how he felt like he was lying to his brother more and more, like he was making any excuse to be away from him. It was okay, Kaiba told himself. Mokuba didn't need to be held back by him; the teen had a far more impressive future than his. Now that he thought about it, Kaiba figured that if he, himself, had brought up his preferences things would have been better. He just didn't really know what Mokuba really thought about that kind of stuff, and he didn't want to shame the kid. Kaiba inhaled deeply. He owed it to himself, to Mokuba. And maybe he could explore this thing with Jonouchi, but he just wasn't sure about it. He didn't even know if he reciprocated the interest.

Frustrated, Kaiba sighed. A flick of his wrist told him he had five minutes to get to his meeting. He took to the stairs and descended, feeling like the time on the roof did little to ease him, only added more anxiety. Eventually, he reached the executive floor and made a beeline for the conference room. Already the two prospective investments had arrived and were seated, presumably by Kanna, and Mokuba sat by his seat with his laptop in front of him and listened stoically to whatever they were telling him. Odd. Normally, Mokuba was more animated in these types of meetings. The men quickly fell silent when Kaiba's presence was known. They quickly stood and reached to shake his hand. Business casual. In an investor meeting with him? Not interested.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today," the man with brown scruff on his face said. His handshake was clammy. His cuticles picked and scabbed. Kaiba took note of all this. "You actually just missed a story we were telling Mokuba. Did you hear?"

Kaiba bore an uninterested look on his face and said, "No."

"Really? About Versa Tech's director?"

At this point, Kaiba realized he had forgotten their names and had decided that they weren't worth his time, but his interest was piqued by the mention of Versa Tech. They had worked together before on mods for Versa Tech's software. He had even considered investing in the company recently. The scruffy speaker of the duo didn't give Kaiba the chance to voice disinterest.

"Drop in stocks just today. Matsubara Shojiro. Caught in a gay affair with some Eikoku pool boy. Disgusting."

The man looked at Kaiba expectantly, and when Kaiba gave no response, he said, "My apologies that I-"

"Wasted my time with foolish gossip? Yes. You should apologize for that among other things. Now have a seat. Let's get this over with."

Kaiba took his seat next to Mokuba who had already started discretely writing a note on a sticky note.

 _No,_ was all it said. Kaiba agreed.

After the short-lived meeting, Kaiba found himself alone in his office and working through a surge in proposals and emails. Emails had now emerged about Versa Tech and its numbers. The news story was shared three times over. Slurs and offensive jokes were being thrown from one to another. And Kaiba's gut felt more and more cavernous with every email. This was awful, and he couldn't help but wonder. Would it be just the same? He hoped not because this was worse than when Yugi beat him the first time.

Kaiba buried his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? He automatically pulled a glass and his scotch out. He poured a generous amount. At the sight of the setting skyline, Kaiba paused. Would he be ruined? He was a few sips in by the time he heard a knock and Mokuba entered the office. His brother gave him a long look. Almost a sad one.

"You okay?"

"Never better."

"That's convincing," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes. "Really. You've been off today. Normally, meetings like that would be much shorter."

It was true. But Kaiba hadn't wanted to give the impression that he was uninterested by their crassness and anti-gay jabber. They were simply uncouth and more about talk rather than getting a job done. He didn't have an answer for Mokuba. He sipped at his drink and exhaled.

"I've just been tired, Mokuba…"

"There's been a lot on your mind."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry for being so curious earlier, but you can tell me. You're my brother."

Kaiba sat, considering this for a second. They and Kaiba Corp. had gone through a lot; the two of them had such wit and a bond that made them damn near unstoppable. Maybe Mokuba could help him get through this. But the words were caught in his throat.

Mokuba's eyes softened. "It _is_ about Jou."

Kaiba looked away and nodded.

"Then why are you pushing him away right now? You can't let those idiots keep you from doing what you want."

Kaiba didn't have an answer for that either. He only massaged his temples. His phone rang and buzzed on his desk.

Before he could grab it, Mokuba had it in his hands. He held it up. "It's Jou. You should answer."

The teen pushed the phone into Kaiba's hands. Kaiba could only stare at the displayed name on his phone's screen. Jonouchi Katsuya. After today, why was he calling him? Well, it wasn't as if he had just started wanting to see him. The blond's absence was definitely felt tonight. He looked up to see Mokuba leave the room.

He answered the call.

"Jonouchi."

"Hey. Need to vent. And drink. Could you stop by my place tonight?"

Kaiba thought for a moment. There was no harm in it. And he did regret what he had said to Jonouchi earlier that day.

"Kaib'?"

"Sure. I'm just about done here. I'll see you in a few."

"Kay. Bye."

Kaiba hung up and downed the rest of his drink. He stood and felt his head rush a bit. Ignoring it, he walked to a cabinet and pulled out a gift from one of his investors. Junmai Daiginjo Sake. It would be a good enough peace offering.


	8. Chapter 8

The Situation

A/N: I was hit by a wave of productivity. I don't know if it's the new medication or if it's mania. Wish me luck!

Jonouchi paced around his living room. Where was he? He had a strict rule of not drinking alone. Look where it got his pops. More importantly though, he had to vent. He needed to talk to someone, even if that someone was being an incredible jerk at the moment. Yugi just wasn't an option; he was too close to the situation. And then there was this actor he was talking to. He could talk to him, but Jonouchi was pretty sure he wouldn't understand the situation.

The situation...He needed that out of his head now.

"Katsuya, focus on something else. Anything else." He kicked his couch. "Like freaking Kaiba. What the hell was his deal today?"

He started to regret calling him, but he reminded himself that drunk Kaiba never seemed to get angry. First goofy, then sad. But mostly sad. Jonouchi sighed loudly. Did he really want to purposefully make him sad tonight? The answer was no, but there was really no stopping Kaiba from his drinking.

"Oh God, this was a mistake." Jonouchi plucked his phone from his kitchen counter. He needed to cancel and fast. He paused. Two missed calls from Kaiba. "Shit."

This was the first time the brunet visited his place before. Jonouchi looked around, now conscientious about the disarray. He dialed Kaiba and began fluffing pillows and helplessly looking at the trash that had yet to be sorted. Kaiba answered.

"Hi."

"Where is your apartment?"

The brunet seemed to be in better spirits than he was earlier.

"Um," Jonouchi said, grabbing a bag and sweeping the trash into a bag. That would have to be saved for later.

"Um. You don't know where your apartment is?"

Geez. Testy.

Jonouchi tossed the bag to the corner of his kitchen and rushed to his door. "I'm heading downstairs now. I'll meet you in the courtyard."

He toed his shoes on and left his apartment, skipping steps as he descended. Hopefully, he hadn't soured the mood already. He blushed at the thought. What kind of mood was he hoping for? Jonouchi reminded himself that Kaiba was unavailable and that he was having fun talking to this other guy, Grayson. Why would he ruin something good? He and Kaiba got along for the most part, and he potentially was going to have an actor boyfriend with how things were shaking out. (Thanks, Mai.) He exited the building and jogged down the pavement to the courtyard, where he found Kaiba typing on his phone. Jonouchi rolled his eyes. He knew that the brunet had a company to run, but he needed to unplug.

As he got close, he noticed traces of distress on Kaiba's face. Maybe he wasn't doing too well. Great. He was going to make things worse tonight. Jonouchi cleared his throat and said, "You okay?"

Kaiba jerked at the sound of his voice and looked up. He looked lost. A moment passed before his eyes went downcast and he put his phone in his pocket. He stood and handed a bottle of sake to Jonouchi.

"Here. Let's go." He started to leave the courtyard as if he knew where he was going. It irked Jonouchi that he was going in the general direction.

Jonouchi caught up with him and asked, "What's this for?"

"Sorry about earlier. Can we move on now?"

He guessed that was it then. Jonouchi glanced down at the bottle and recoiled. "I can't have this."

"Jonouchi, it's just been sitting in my office. It's fine. Now, where are we going?"

Jonouchi realized that Kaiba was actively avoiding his eyes. He wanted to ask, but would it just trigger him again? Pointing at the building his apartment was in, he said, "Over there. You gotta punch in a code."

He took large steps to bypass Kaiba and reached the door. He entered the code and turned back to Kaiba. The brunet still avoided his eyes. Something felt secret about Kaiba coming here, and he couldn't place why. His cheeks heated up as he held the door open for Kaiba and followed him. He wouldn't have a problem if anything happened between them tonight. He honestly couldn't fight off the feeling that there were mutual feelings, and he enjoyed and looked forward to talking to Kaiba more than Grayson anyway. Like tonight, even if Kaiba hadn't given his 'Kaiba Apology', Jonouchi would have still felt like he would listen and make him feel better.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Kaiba said from the top of the first flight of steps.

Still testy.

Jonouchi hopped up the stairs and said, "Next floor up."

"Hmph...For this place's rates, you'd think you'd have an elevator here." Kaiba ascended the stairs.

Very testy.

"Um, apartment 202. To your left," he called out, trying to catch up. He found Kaiba standing beside his front door with his arms crossed. He couldn't tell if it were more or less intimidating with him in a suit. Man, did he look good in that suit. Jonouchi shook his head and opened the door. Kaiba followed him in. "Welcome to my humble abode. Have a seat in the living room."

But Kaiba had already taken his shoes off and was heading to the couch. A cloud just seemed to follow him now. Again, Jonouchi thought it was a mistake. There was no promise that Kaiba was even in a good headspace to hear him vent.

"How about some of this sake?"

"Whatever is fine."

Nothing else. Jonouchi grabbed some cups and entered the living room to see Kaiba hunched over, his head resting on his hand. His left leg bounced up and down. Jonouchi hadn't seen him so anxious in a while.

Plopping onto the floor and placing the sake on the table with the cups, Jonouchi said, "Screw it. We've both had bad days, it looks. Let's drop etiquette."

He opened the bottle and poured for both of them. With a quick gesture, he slid Kaiba's cup closer to him. When he didn't touch the drink, Jonouchi considered pushing to see what was wrong, but Kaiba gave a long sigh and spoke up.

"What do you need to vent about?"

Jonouchi stared. Most nights, he was the one that talked while Kaiba listened. Actually, ever since Kaiba's birthday, he took to disappearing for a few days whenever he felt emotionally overwhelmed-Jonouchi knew that was the reason. After that, he'd show up again, they'd talk about it a little, then they'd move on. Now, Kaiba sat in front of him and Jonouchi could see him try to force his emotions past a gridlock and down the bottleneck. Jonouchi didn't want him to disappear again. He watched as Kaiba took a sip of his sake, and he wondered what had gotten him so shaken up. Had it been the fight with Mokuba?

"Jonouchi."

"Yes?"

"What happened?" Kaiba's voice had dropped the razor edge. Gentler now. "You were upset earlier."

Jonouchi's heart melted. The hardened executive was easier to talk to when he wasn't so much an executive but a friend. He tried not to look so lovestruck. "Look, can we just avoid it for now? I'd rather us just chill before I...rampage."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Disappointment flashed across Kaiba's expression. Jonouchi wished he knew why, but he didn't think much on it. He just grinned like a mad man when Kaiba slid from the couch to the floor and sat cross-legged.

"Well, we haven't seen each other for a week. What's new?" Well, that didn't sound like something an overbearing boyfriend would say. Get it together, Katsuya, he thought. He was almost so busy feeling stupid that he almost didn't notice Kaiba's cheeks flush. He knew it wasn't the alcohol. Smirking, Jonouchi said, "Oooooo, something interesting. Spill."

He thought a moment. He added, "You get a girlfriend?" and he hoped to God that Kaiba said 'God, no' or something along those lines. His heart dropped to his gut when the blush deepened and Kaiba returned to not looking at him.

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

Good. Jonouchi didn't really want to hear it, but the usual Jonouchi move would be to push. So he did. He took a sip of his sake, relishing in the taste. "C'mon, Kaiba. Who is she? Where'd ya meet?"

He wondered if whoever this was happened to be a transatlantic paramour. Kaiba had been California on business the past week after all.

When Kaiba didn't answer, Jonouchi tried again. "She got a name?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

The expression on Kaiba's face returned to the storm from earlier, and the brunet finished his sake. Jonouchi tried not to look hurt. What was so terrible about a hook-up? What had to be so secret? He tried to grin wider. "Okay. Whatever you say. What do you wanna talk about then?"

Kaiba seemed to be on the spot. There was clearly something on his mind that he wanted to talk about but was putting that on his taboo list. That's what Jonouchi called it, and it was a short list-Gozaburo, Mai, and now relationships. Kaiba took the sake bottle and filled his cup. He gave furtive glances to the wall and then took a sip of his drink. It dawned on Jonouchi that whatever was bothering Kaiba was big. He wondered if he had spoken to Mokuba about it, though he doubted it. Kaiba had admitted weeks ago that there were plenty of things that his little brother didn't need to know, and Jonouchi wasn't surprised.

The blond decided to save his floundering friend-could he call Kaiba that now? He said, "Well, I started talking to someone. Mai introduced us."

A blank expression. That was better than stormy. No introduction to talk, but the conversation wasn't shut down.

"Maybe you know him. Grayson Reeves?" Jonouchi wriggled his eyebrows.

Kaiba's expression remained blank as he took a sip of sake. Sarcastic, he said, "Ooooo, the Grayson Reeves. Wasn't he in those awful metro movies?"

Jonouchi blushed. "Well, yeah. But who can say that they are hitting it off with an actor?"

Kaiba snorted and down the rest of his sake. He poured another cup and downed that one too. Kaiba was on a mission tonight.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. When did you start talking?" Again, Kaiba moved to pour another drink.

Eyeing Kaiba, Jonouchi said, "A couple of weeks now. He's pretty interesting. Wants to take me out on his yacht."

With an amused smirk, Kaiba stopped mid-drink and said, "With the most innocent of intentions."

Jonouchi's jaw dropped. Well, he wasn't stupid, but when was Kaiba so crass about that, especially when he was so against talking about his own love life? Feeling his cheeks heat up, he drank from his cup. Then he decided to down the rest. This was only his first and by his count, Kaiba was on...his fifth? The point of tonight was to get shitfaced and forget about today for a bit. And Kaiba seemed to be well on his way. Jonouchi took the sake and poured more for himself.

"So? I'm a big boy."

"Describing yourself as a 'boy'? Jou, please. Take some ownership in being an adult."

"That's not what I meant, and you know that!" Jonouchi pointed at Kaiba accusing but smiled when he saw a small smile curl onto Kaiba's lips. A gentle smile. Not like his challenging smirks. Just a smile. And Jonouchi loved it. It made him not want to meet up with Grayson. He shook that thought out of his head. "I'm plenty experienced."

"Are we bragging then?"

"Well, I am. You, I don't think you'll ever spill." Even though he really wanted to know. He downed his sake and poured more. At this rate, they would be out of the sake before the night was out. That was nothing new.

"No. I won't."

"Then let's talk about duel monsters."

"Like how you don't compete internationally?"

"Mai got in your head too?"

"That woman will never get in my head. It's just obvious. Why aren't you doing it? You know you'll win-."

Hearing that, Jonouchi nearly leapt across the table to Kaiba. "What? Did I just hear you say that I'd win internationally?"

Between gritted teeth, Kaiba said, "Yes. Don't make me regret it."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me hear more about how great I am."

"Forget it."

"No! C'mon. I'll be good." Jonouchi stretched his torso across the table. "Please?"

Kaiba smirked and drank. "Fine. What I was going to say was that you're holding yourself back just competing in Japan. At some point, you'll just be competing with amateurs. Then you'll get bored."

"I guess, but-."

"But what? You'll have to travel more? You'll be out of your comfort zone? You'll make better money? Jou, this is not a good look on you."

"Cut me a break."

"Why are you so resistant?"

Scratching his head, Jonouchi said, "Dunno. I guess I just don't want to…"

He didn't want to admit it aloud. But of all people, Kaiba would definitely be one to understand.

"I don't want to fail."

Raising a brow, Kaiba stared at him a moment. He swished his drink around. It was like he was taking a magnifying glass to Jonouchi. He suddenly said, "Then win."

"Aren't you supposed to say 'you won't fail' or 'I know you can do it'?"

"I'm not part of your geek squad. If you want that, go to Yugi."

"Fine."

"So you're going to compete internationally."

"I don't know."

"Fine. Be stubborn."

"I will be." Jonouchi reached over to pour more sake. The bottle was empty. He checked his phone. How long had they been talking? Hell, he didn't even know when Kaiba arrived. "Looks like we're out. Lemme go get some more. You need some food? I know you haven't eaten very much today."

As Jonouchi stood, Kaiba followed. The brunet wobbled. A giant Lego tower about to tumble. Jonouchi hurried and hooked an arm around Kaiba's elbow. He poked at his surprisingly hard abdomen.

"Yeah. It's hitting you. Shoulda been eating."

"Fuck off. I need water." Kaiba loosened his tie and slipped it off. He tossed it on the floor.

Jonouchi guided Kaiba to the kitchen. He averted his eyes from his neck.

At eleven, both were on the floor, on their backs, heads touching, looking at the ceiling. Kaiba hadn't hit the sad phase yet surprisingly, and they were laughing about something he couldn't even recall. Their second bottle of sake was nearly empty. Jonouchi shifted his head to get a better look at Kaiba. It had been more than a few months since they'd been regularly seeing each other-wait, socializing or hanging out. Not seeing each other. He wondered. He took his finger and tapped on Kaiba's forehead.

"Hey. When can I start calling you 'Seto'?"

Slurring, offhandedly, "When we sleep in the same bed together. And I promise you that is not happening..."

Jonouchi blinked at Kaiba.

"What happened today, Jou? You dragged me over here today because of it."

"Oh. Yeah." Jonouchi chewed his lip. "Well, you know Shizuka."

"Yeah."

"Today, I kinda found out that Honda is sleeping with her."

"Found out? How?"

"Um...In a way that makes me want to bleach my eyes."

"Here?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"On the couch."

"Burn it."

Jonouchi busted out laughing. "I guess I can afford it."

"You'd be able to buy a nicer couch if you competed internationally."

"Yeah."

"Do you know for how long?"

"A couple months. Fucking sneaking around behind my back. How long did they think they could hide this from me? And seriously, Honda? And my sister? Can't imagine a worse couple."

"I could. Jonouchi, are asking me to take a side. Because I'm not."

Jonouchi rolled onto his stomach. "But why?"

"Barring the age gap, there is nothing that I have much to comment on. We don't know anything about the circumstances."

"Man, I thought you'd be helpful."

"Look, you can feel how you want. If you're pissed, then okay. Do what you want. Maybe you'll get over it. Maybe you want. It's your decision whether you want to behave a certain way or not. It's your decision about what you do next. It's not my responsibility or obligation to speculate and come to an uninformed conclusion."

Kaiba rolled on his side and grabbed the sake bottle. He sloppily poured another drink.

"You should know how I feel about speculation by now."

"Yeah."

"So what do you want to do with this situation, Jou?"

To be honest, he didn't know what he wanted to do. He was pissed. He was hurt. He was confused. How could this happen without him knowing? Why would they hide it from him? Sure, he wouldn't have been for it, but maybe he would have come around. Now, all he wanted was to, as Kaiba said, burn his couch. Jonouchi rested his chin on his arms. Next to him, Kaiba downed his cup and handed him the bottle. Jonouchi drank the rest of the sake from the bottle. He really wanted to know what Kaiba would do if it were Mokuba, but he wasn't sure if there would be an equivalent situation for them. He just knew that, as a big brother, Kaiba was protective of his brother, just as he was with Shizuka.

"I don't know. I just want to be mad for now. Is that fair?"

"Of course. I'd probably be too, but Mokuba doesn't let me meet his girlfriends so I wouldn't know."

Laughing, Jonouchi reached over and brushed the bangs from Kaiba's forehead. He stared deep in his eyes and felt the frustration in him quell. "Of course Mokuba doesn't."

Kaiba stared back. One of the few times since they started drinking. There was a flash of sadness. Jonouchi wanted to catch this before it was too late.

"What's wrong?"

"I really don't want to talk about it, Jou."

"Why not?"

"I have to give a reason?"

"I'd like one."

Kaiba remained on his stomach, propping himself with his elbow. Jonouchi could see his sharp collar bones, and all he wanted to do was trace his fingers along them. If Kaiba were any closer, he wasn't sure if he could help himself.

"I don't know if I can give you one."

"Could you try?"

Kaiba thought a moment. "Could I say that lately I've been having to take a hard look at myself and how I'm going to run my company?"

"Sure."

"You know I'm here for you."

"Mhm."

"And that you can talk about it. I'm not one to judge."

"Mhm…"

Jonouchi wondered what he meant by a 'hard look'. Was Kaiba considering his drinking and pill popping? Was he considering the idea of being nicer in the business world? Could he be questioning? Couldn't be the last one. Selfishly, Jonouchi thought how that would make him so happy.

In front of him, Kaiba had rested his head on his arms. His back had a steady rise and fall as if he were falling asleep. The alcohol had finally hit him and he was down for the count. Jonouchi reached over and shook his shoulder.

"Let's get you to bed." Jonouchi stood and helped Kaiba up. They balanced each other. "You can have my bed. You ain't using the couch."

Kaiba leaned on him, pressing his forehead to the side of Jonouchi's head. He murmured into his ear. "What about you?"

Chills. Chills up and down his spine.

"I got the floor."

"No, I'll take the floor."

"No, you're not."

"Well, what then?"

Jonouchi sighed heavily. He looked across the living room to his open bedroom door. Walking them toward the room, he said, "Looks like I'm calling you 'Seto'."


End file.
